Citrix: Hide Applications in Citrix Web Interface

On of my customers wanted to hide the application tab from their Web Interface 5.4 configuration. I found the CTX122133 article which describes how to hide a specific application or application folder:

Use the following steps to complete the task:

Unzip the file Global.asax.zip. It contains the modified global.asax file for each Web Interface 5.x version. Make sure to use the correct one, otherwise compilation errors may occur. To verify the version of Web Interface, check under Add/Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) for Citrix Web Interface component. Note: Make sure to read the readme file for Web Interface

Backup the global.asax file located in the Citrix/xenApp/ directory.
For Web Interface 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 only, be sure to back up global.asax.cs in the Citrix/XenApp/App_code directory by renaming the file asglobal.asax.old or moving the file out of the Inetpub directory. Do not leave both (original and modified) global.asax files with the .csextension in the same directory. Only leave the modified global.asax file. Otherwise, Web Interface generates an internal error during compilation.

Place the attached global.asax file in the Citrix/XenApp directory.
For Web Interface 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 only, place the global.asax.cs file in the Citrix/XenApp/App_code directory.

For Web Interface 5.4 only, get the HiddenFoldersFilter.java and HiddenApplicationsFilter.java files from the WI_5.4 folder (inside the global.asax.zip file) and place them in the following location:
C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\XenApp\app_code\PagesJava\com\citrix\wi\pageutils

Add the following line to the C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix/xenApp/conf/WebInterface.conf file:HiddenFolders=
(example: HiddenFolders=\FolderA, \FolderB\SubFolderC)
Note: Make sure to place the backslash (\) before the folder name.- Or –

HiddenApps=
(example: HiddenApps=Calculator, Admin Tools)

Save file and test.

Note: The entries in HiddenFolders= must contain unique folder names and cannot be a name which is a subset of an existing folder. For example, if two folders exist named “Folder” and “Folder2” and you intend to hide “Folder” by adding the entry “HiddenFolders=\Folder”, this makes “Folder2” inoperable. Instead, rename “Folder” to “Folder1” so “HiddenFolders=\Folder1” maintains its uniqueness.

Thomas Koetzing has a complete set of files and modifications published on his website:

Sometimes it’s useful to hide specific folders, content and / or publish application in Web Interfrace. Often it’s used when application are published anonymously. Hiding an folder has the advantage that you just have to place new application in the folder and it’s automatically hiden in Web Interface, this way you control the feature through the Citrix Management Console.

Keep in mind that hiding does NOT mean there is possible way for users to still access the hiden resorces, compare it with hiding files on an NTFS filesystem. The only way to get “real” security – “smart access” you have to deploy the Citrix Access Gateway and optional with the Advanced Access Controls.

Kees Baggerman

Kees Baggerman is a Staff Solutions Architect for End User Computing at Nutanix. Kees has driven numerous Microsoft and Citrix, and RES infrastructures functional/technical designs, migrations, implementations engagements over the years.